Mr.
Keith Griffin learned traditional Tae Kwon Do and its philosophy before
reaching high school. From his first Korean Master Instructor Jun
(Jay) Seon Hyon 9th degree Black Belt, he learned that Tae Kwon Do with all its
potential power is a gentle art. GRAND MASTER GRIFFIN earned his First Degree
Black Belt while a senior at Minneapolis Central High School at the age of
17. As a competitor Mr. Griffin has traveled extensively and has earned
over 200 trophies, plaques and ribbons, ranging from weapons competition to
free fighting. Now a 8th Degree Black Belt, under 10th Degree Black Belt
& PKA Super Light Weight World Champion Grand Master Gordon Franks, GRAND
MASTER GRIFFIN openly shares the knowledge that competition experience has
given him. Teaching his students to compete and become champions. As
coach of the Junior Olympic Team and Head Coach of Team Kick, Mr. Griffin?s
students have won Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals as well as over 400 trophies,
with these numbers expecting to increase.

Master
Griffin Has trained with:

Grand
Master Instructor - Gordon Franks - 10th Degree Black Belt

Grand
Master Gordon Franks has over 40 years experience in the martial arts. After
earning his black belt in 1972, it took him just three years to win the PKA
World Super Lightweight championship in full contact karate.

Grand
Master Gordon Franks is one of the USA Karate School's original founders. The
organization operates several schools in the Twin Cities serving thousands of
active members.

Grand
Master Franks was a ground breaker in Professional Full Contact Karate. He was
the first World Professional Super-light-weight Karate Championship which he
won in Berlin, Germany, on September 21st, 1975. He was the first African
American World Champion. He was the first to win his title in a foreign
country. Many of Grand Master Franks' fights were televised, as he was at
his prime during the infancy of the sport.

Grand
Master Griffin was promoted to 5th and 6th Degree Black Belt by 10th Degree Black Belt Grand Master Dr. Terry WarnerIs the founder
of the Chan Shou Do system of Kung Fu. Dr. Warner has almost forty years of
experience in martial arts and is one of highest-ranking black belts in the
world.

Grand
Master Warner is an active member of the World Council of Grand Masters
"Sokeship."

He
was the undefeated all #1 Japan/Okinawa champion in 1960/61 when he retired
from competition.

Grandmaster
Warner was the founder and director of the Judges
and Referees Alliance (J.R.A). The J.R.A. was the premier
alliance of dedicated black belts seeking fairness with excellence at every
competition level in martial arts. Grand
Master Griffin was inducted into its Hall Of Fame.

Supreme Grand Master Byung Jik Ro, 10th
Degree Black Belt, was born July 3, 1919 in Kaesung City, Korea. Growing up the
youngest of 4 and frail in health as a child, Grand Master Ro was forced to
enter elementary school a year later than the other children his age. Due to
his poor health at such an early age, the information young Ro heard from his
neighborhood regarding the 1,200 year old ancient arts of Tae Kyon and Subak
stirred an interest in the Martial Arts within him as a young child. The
defensive techniques that were taught at the local temples during Ro�s youth
attracted his attention at a very young age.

His strong attraction to the Martial Arts lead him to search out
Funakoshi Gichin, Shotokan founder, during his college years. Grand Master Ro
traveled to Japan in March of 1936 to attend college and in May of 1936 Ro
began training in the Karate style of Martial Arts under Funakoshi, earning his
Black Belt in Shotokan.

Returning home to Kaesung City, Korea during his summer vacations
from college, Grand Master Ro would teach his friends and neighbors the
techniques he had learned. In February of 1944, Supreme Grand Master Ro
finished his university work and returned back home to Korea to live. Upon his
return to Korea from Japan, many of the friends and neighbors he had been
teaching during those summer vacations asked Grand Master Ro to continue to
teach them what he had learned during his training. Based upon these requests,
Supreme Grand Master Ro opened the Kaesung dojang in the Kwan Duk Jung archery
school on March 11, 1944. Grand Master Ro had also served as Taekwondo
instructor for Seoul University, Dan Gook University, Seoul Oriental
Acupuncture College and several other universities

Victor
Marotta, owner of The American Karate Studio, began his training in January of
1966 under master instructor Jun Seon Hyon, 9th Degree Master Instructor from
South Korea. He received his black belt from Mr. Hyon in September of 1968.
From 1967 until 1971, Mr. Marotta competed in karate tournaments across the
United States and Canada, winning or placing in tournaments held in Minnesota,
Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Arizona, and at
Madison Square Garden, New York. By winning the 1968 U.S. Martial Arts
Championships in Chicago, Mr. Marotta became Minnesota's first national level,
open tournament black belt champion.